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State Disability Insurance – Types of Claims

This provides a list of the different State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefit programs for Disability Insurance (DI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL).

If you believe you qualify, file a claim to apply. We will review your eligibility for benefits.

Disability Insurance provides short-term wage replacement benefits to eligible Californians.

You may qualify for DI benefits if you can’t work and lose wages when you need time off for:

  • Illness or injury (physical or mental)
  • Surgery (including elective surgery)
  • Pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions
  • Alcohol or drug addiction recovery

If eligible, you may get benefit payments for up to 52 weeks.

For more information:

You can file two types of claims for pregnancy:

  • Disability Insurance: File a DI claim when your licensed health professional certifies that you can't work due to pregnancy. This claim covers prepartum pregnancy-related disability and postpartum recovery from delivery and other related medical conditions.
  • Paid Family Leave: Once you recover and your licensed health professional clears you to return to work, you can file a PFL bonding claim.

For more information:

PFL Bonding provides up to eight weeks of benefits for eligible workers who take time off to bond with a new child joining the family through:

  • Birth
  • Adoption
  • Foster care placement

For More Information

San Francisco Workers: If you work in San Francisco, your employer may need to pay extra wages in addition to your weekly PFL benefit. This applies when you take PFL bonding for a new child joining your family through:

  • Childbirth
  • Adoption
  • Foster care placement

For more information:

Paid Family Leave Care provides benefits to eligible workers who need to take time off work to care for a seriously ill:

  • Child
  • Parent
  • Parent-in-law
  • Grandparent
  • Grandchild
  • Sibling
  • Spouse or registered domestic partner

PFL defines a serious health condition as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition of a patient that requires:

  • At-home care or inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility.
  • Continuing treatment by a physician or health care practitioner.

For more information:

PFL now offers benefits to workers who take time off work to support a family member in the US Armed Forces deploying to a foreign country.

Eligible family members include:

  • Spouse
  • Registered domestic partner
  • Parent
  • Child

A qualifying event includes:

  • Any military-related event.
  • An essential need due to the family member’s deployment or impending deployment.
  • Rest and recuperation leave.

For more information:

You may be eligible for partial or full DI or PFL benefits if you have a disability or need family leave and lose wages if you:

  • Work part-time.
  • Have an intermittent work schedule.
  • Have your hours reduced.
  • Have your wages reduced.
  • Can’t do your regular work, and your employer moves you to a lower-paying job.

If you think you are eligible for benefits, file a claim. The amount of your benefit will depend on the amount of your wage loss.

For more information:

State Disability Insurance and Workers' Compensation are two different programs. Workers' compensation provides benefits to workers for work-related injuries or illnesses.

It may also cover:

  • Medical bills.
  • Benefits for temporary or permanent disabilities.
  • Retraining benefits.

For more information:

Eligible employers or a majority of their employees can apply for a Voluntary Plan (VP). A VP pays DI and PFL benefits instead of using SDI coverage.

A voluntary plan must include:

  • Provide all the same benefits as SDI.
  • Include at least one benefit that is better than SDI.
  • Not cost employees more than SDI.

Talk to your employer to see if they offer a VP. To file a VP claim, contact your personnel or benefits department.

For more information:

DIEC is an option for employers and self-employed people who don’t have to pay into SDI but want DI and PFL coverage.  DIEC can protect you from a partial loss of income if you can’t work. DIEC funding comes from your quarterly premiums on your tax returns.

For More Information:

Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) provides partial wages to covered state employees who lose wages due to:

  • Non-work-related illness or injury
  • Pregnancy

Nonindustrial Disability Insurance - Family Care Leave (NDI-FCL) provides partial wage replacement due to a need for family leave to:

  • Care for a seriously ill family member.
  • Bond with a new child entering the family.
  • Support a family member in the US Armed Forces who is deploying to a foreign country.

NDI and NDI-FCL covers excluded employees and rank-and-file employees in bargaining units 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, and 19. The NDI and NDI-FCL programs include managers and supervisors. This applies at both the regular and enhanced benefit levels.

For more information:

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